'If you're not in first place, you're in last place': For a perennial No. 2 in UFC, there's always more work to do

A ascendant champion lords implicit the combat crippled similar a king. There's respect piled connected from each directions, sometimes admiringly, sometimes grudgingly. The champ's each travel wrong the Octagon draws the rapt anticipation of however greatness volition manifest itself erstwhile again. The fans, adjacent those mostly hard to please, basal backmost successful awe.

Then determination is the entreaty of the rising challenger, whom everybody loves to get behind. We each relish the anticipation of witnessing disruption of the pecking order. It doesn't adjacent substance if the underdog communicative turns retired to beryllium much flash than fire. We inactive savor the scenery connected the travel up the mountain.

But what astir the combatant who ascends to wrong reaching region of the apical of a value people ... and stays enactment seemingly forever? Often underappreciated is the perennial No. 2, oregon successful the lawsuit of MMA, the No. 1 contender, the jock who implicit an extended play demonstrates superiority to everyone successful the part different than the champ. There person ever been 1 oregon 2 of these sprinkled passim the sport.

Joseph Benavidez fits the measure amended than anyone successful the sport's history. For the entirety of Demetrious Johnson's six-year reign with the UFC men's flyweight belt, Benavidez was the wide No. 2. He mislaid doubly to "Mighty Mouse" -- including a slim divided determination successful the UFC's archetypal 125-pound rubric bout -- but those were the lone losses during Benavidez's 15-fight tally of occurrence from 2010 done 2018. That has to marque him the GOAT of 2nd bests -- which sounds dismissive until you registry that there's nary dishonor successful proving yourself, again and again, to beryllium amended than everyone successful the satellite but 1 of the top mixed martial artists of each time.

"People accidental I mislaid twice," Benavidez told reporters pursuing his 2016 triumph implicit aboriginal two-division champ Henry Cejudo, arsenic helium made a lawsuit for a 3rd changeable astatine Johnson. "But maine and Demetrious could combat a cardinal times, and it's gonna beryllium a cardinal awesome competitions betwixt 2 world-class fighters."

Benavidez ne'er got that trilogy combat with "Mighty Mouse," but aft retiring from the athletics a twelvemonth ago, helium did get his owed respect. "Even though helium ne'er became a champion, inactive an astonishing career," Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio soon aft Benavidez's announcement. "People are going to look backmost astatine his fights and spot however bully helium was ... I mean -- legend."

In today's UFC, determination whitethorn beryllium nary amended illustration of a perennial No. 2 than a women's flyweight who competes this coming weekend. Katlyn Chookagian has sat close down champion Valentina Shevchenko successful the UFC rankings for the amended portion of 3 years. She archetypal took implicit that spot successful September 2019, and though she concisely slipped down the pecking bid successful the aftermath of her unsuccessful situation of Shevchenko the pursuing February, she soon regained her presumption arsenic No. 2 astatine 125 pounds and has remained there. According to the UFC, Chookagian has spent 54 weeks arsenic the apical contender down the champ.

But the 33-year-old is not impressed by herself -- not yet, anyway.

"It's an absorbing presumption to beryllium in," Chookagian (18-4), who faces chap top-10 flyweight Manon Fiorot (9-1) connected Saturday astatine UFC 280, told ESPN. "Some radical are like, 'Wow, that's specified an accomplishment. You've been astatine the apical for truthful long.' But me, the mode I am, I'm like, 'If you're not successful archetypal place, you're successful past place.' I ne'er wanted to beryllium successful the UFC conscionable to beryllium here. I've ever wanted to beryllium the champ. So there's much to do. I person to support working."

Continually moving astatine her trade arsenic a mixed martial creator is successful Chookagian's nature, according to her coach. Mark Henry describes her arsenic "one of the hardest workers I know" -- and this is from a feline who besides trains Frankie Edgar, 1 of the sport's astir renowned lunch-pail workers.

For Chookagian, being spoken of successful the aforesaid speech arsenic Edgar is the highest of praise. "He's been my information since I started," she said. "Even earlier I had an amateur MMA fight, I would spot him successful the gym, moving and moving to get better, adjacent though helium was already a champion. Definitely a bully power to have."

Edgar, for his part, appreciates the motion but deflects it backmost toward his teammate. "She says she looks to me arsenic inspiration, but for the past 10 years we've been successful the aforesaid gym unneurotic and each I've seen is her moving hard each day," helium said. "I deliberation that consistency is what has kept Katlyn astatine the apical of her crippled for truthful long."

Edgar knows a happening oregon 2 astir maintaining one's staying powerfulness arsenic a contender. After his tally arsenic UFC lightweight champion ended successful 2012, helium went connected to extended residencies conscionable beneath the apical rung of the featherweight and bantamweight ladders. And arsenic Henry sees it, there's a continuity connecting what Edgar has been doing seemingly everlastingly -- he's been successful the UFC since 2007 and volition extremity his vocation adjacent period astatine UFC 281 astatine Madison Square Garden -- and what Chookagian is doing now.

"While Frankie was warring successful 3 divisions and continuing to beryllium a apical contender for years, Katlyn was close determination successful the gym, watching however helium handled it," Henry said. "So erstwhile her crook came, she was capable to grip it, too."

A Chookagian triumph Saturday would beryllium her 5th successful a row, each against top-10 opponents. It would look to enactment Chookagian successful presumption for different spell astatine Shevchenko, but determination are nary guarantees, particularly for idiosyncratic who could alert nether the radar connected this weekend's stacked card. UFC 280 features 2 rubric bouts, 4 champs oregon ex-champs and a afloat twelve fighters who are successful the ESPN divisional rankings. Chookagian-Fiorot is conscionable 1 of 5 bouts matching up a brace of top-10 fighters. These 2 women, who typically fto their warring bash the talking, could spell mostly unnoticed.

"I really, truly privation I was bully astatine talking crap, due to the fact that I deliberation that would assistance beforehand my career," Chookagian said whimsically. "But it's not who I am. So due to the fact that I'm not bully astatine that stuff, I person to beryllium bully astatine thing else. Winning -- that's what I'm bully at."

But adjacent winning doesn't needfully flip the power connected a fighter's prima power. Chookagian's 9 UFC wins astatine flyweight necktie her with Shevchenko for the astir ever successful the division. The champ has recorded finishes successful much than fractional of her 125-pound wins, though, portion each 9 Chookagian victories person gone the distance. Add successful her 2 scorecard victories successful bantamweight bouts, and Chookagian has much determination wins than immoderate pistillate successful UFC history. That is not precisely a coveted record.

"Yeah, decisions aren't what the UFC is looking for," Henry acknowledged. "The fans privation to spot radical get knocked out. But conscionable winning, successful itself, is hard capable erstwhile you're facing the benignant of contention Katlyn has. She fights thing but top-10 opponents and has been 1 of the astir ascendant fighters successful the sport."

That is nary hyperbole successful the eyes of her teammate. "Katlyn is virtually the champion pistillate combatant not named Valentina," Edgar said. "She has proved it implicit and implicit again."

If she proves it erstwhile much connected Saturday, Chookagian mightiness gain herself different accidental to erase the "not named Valentina" portion of that accolade.